The Hard Truth
by xXxAngelStormxXx
Summary: Truthfully, nobody expected the people of the Isle of the Lost to really live, let alone thrive. Ben and most of his friends grew up not liking the idea of the Isle and the other kids being forced to live there, but they didn't know the extent of it because King Adam didn't want them to. So, after Ben's coronation they go to the Isle... (Summary continued author note.)
1. Serving Looks

**Author's Note: Don't be fooled by the title/description. This isn't just a story about Auradon and the Isle, it's also about Soulmates. I've made some changes to things, hopefully I don't confuse you too much. For starters, in this AU Captain Hook was one of the 'good guys', and as such Harry and his siblings are Auradonians. His father transitioned from pirate captain to more or less a captain of the navy kind of position. In addition to that another major change is that not all of the villains stayed villainous or were actually that bad of people, some of them were pushed and goaded into doing something bad. Instead of rotting and evil festering on the Isle, they found a way to thrive under the garbage and decay they were given. Lamps and lights repurposed to create sort of greenhouses, creation of water filters, adaptation and repair of technology, natural 'potions' that didn't need magic to act as medicines, and more that helped the people of the Isle really live and thrive. The parents see how they used to fight for power, and as their children get older, they relinquish a lot of the 'governmental' power to them as not only are they the future, but they see things in a different or new light than they all do.**

**This story picks up after the AK's have arrived on the Isle.**

**Due to character limits the full summary did not fit in the description box, as such I've included it in my author note.**

**Full summary: ****Truthfully, nobody expected the people of the Isle of the Lost to really live, let alone thrive. Ben and most of his friends grew up not liking the idea of the Isle and the other kids being forced to live there, but they didn't know the extent of it because King Adam want them to. **

**So, after Ben's coronation they go to the Isle to see what it's really like for the villains and their kids and learn the hard truth of it all. The Isle only gets what Auradon throws away. They are sick and hurt and nobody in Auradon will speak up against King Adam because when they do, thy get threatened to the Isle themselves.**

The group of kids didn't really know what to expect when they arrived on the Isle. After learning the Isle only received Auradon's trash, they thought it'd be bad, but they weren't expecting it to be this dark, dirty, and gloomy. Blinking neon that appeared to be close to giving out surrounded them, the dark evening helping hide their obviously not from the Isle clothing a tad.

They crept around corners, looking for a place to trade their ostentatious, bright, and clean clothing for something that would help them blend in while they were here.

"Look." Jane whispered with a point. "Evie's" she read, "I think that's a boutique of some kind." Audrey humped, not wanting to lose the pretty pale baby pink dress. "I am not changing." She crossed her arms as they walked in, a bell tinkling to signal arrival.

"Audrey, do you want us to get caught?" Lonnie almost hissed in a low voice. "Do you not see how badly we stick out here?"

She scowled at the other girl, crossing her arms as she looked around in disgust. Audrey opened her mouth to tell her she was not about to pay to dress in the rags on the hangers like a low-life villain, but a voice cut her off.

"My, my, my. What do we have here?"

The entire group jumped before seeing the girl by the table next to them. Chad smirked at her, leaning on the table. "Why hello there blue-tiful." He said flirtatiously. She raised an eyebrow and leaned forward, her elbows on the table, chin resting in her hand as asked with a smile, "What brings you here today?"

"Uh, well we just wanted to get some new clothes." Ben spoke up before Chad could.

She nodded looking them up and down. "I might have something that'll work for you guys." She tapped a finger on her chin thoughtfully as she gazed at each of them. "Ooh." She winced, "Girl, your outfit definitely needs some help. Who even sold you that monstrosity?" She gestures to Audrey's dress, who promptly turned red and opened her mouth to protest the offense.

"Uh, well, we kinda had a 'dress like an Auradon kid' costume party." Lonnie jumped in.

"Ohh." She nodded, "I see. That's interesting…" she said with a quirked eyebrow. "I'm guessing you won the costume contest huh? That is the most disgustingly Auradon dress I've ever seen.." She winced, "Well, at least you certainly managed to put together what you were looking for."

"Yeah." Lonnie nodded,"totally." readily agreeing.

Without warning the girl hopped up from her stool and pushed Audrey into a dressing room, tossing something at her. A muffled "Hey!"was heard as she pulled the curtain shut.

"Time to drop the Bore-adon looks and get you into something fabulously bad!" She laughed as she turned to the rest of them. "Hmmm. How about we keep the blue and yellow for you?" She nodded, grabbing a royal blue jacket and yellow shirt before shoving them into Ben's arms. She grabbed something strappy, a black pair of pants and a whit tank and dropped them into Harry's arms. "Red is just so your color." She complimented, "I think I've got just the jacket for you too, I have to grab it from the back." She turned towards Jane before pausing and giving them both a look, "well? Get in those dressing rooms. Chop chop." She shooed them away.

She was about to turn back to Jane when something caught her eye, "Hold on." She told the fae girl before Lonnie got a mostly blue, red and yellow set of items passed to her. Then she turned back to Jane. "I think a nice black and white would look good on you. Maybe a splash of red?" She grabbed a flowy top and skinny leg pants before she turned back to Chad and Doug.

Barely looking at Chad she snagged a few things. "Here." Unceremoniously she tossed them into his arms and shooed him away. "Last but certainly not least." She turned to Doug who shifted nervously under here watchful eyes. "Hmm." She narrowed her eyes thoughtfully once more before snapping her fingers. "I got it!"

Taking him by the arm she led him over to another curtain and ushered him inside, passing him an almost velvety suit type black jacket, a fedora, as well as a few pieces to match.

One by one they came out, Audrey being the only one to huff.

Harry passed Chad who was smirking while the shopgirl looked after him with clear distaste as he went back into the fitting room for something, and Doug came out to see Harry sitting on a stool in front of the shopgirl. "Hold still." she huffed at him, "I'm tryin' lass." he told her as she painted something around his eyes. "There." she put the pencil like object down, "All done." She narrowed her eyes, "You're still missing something." thinking for a moment she nodded, "I've got just the thing in the project bin, but it's not quite ready yet." she hummed, "I'll bring it to you when it's finished, it'll just complete the whole look." she looked satisfied with the decision.

"Hmm." Doug almost flinched in surprise when she turned to him and her hands darted back out, draping something around his neck. "I thought that it would be missing something, and this is just that something." She smiles as she ties it for him.

"You look good in a tie." She admitted, "this is just much more…" she paused to search for the word she wanted, "wicked." The red tie sparkled against the black shirt with various gem looking pieces on it. "Perfect." She patted his chest. Doug felt his cheeks heat up, not sure if she was flirting with him or being friendly by Isle standards. "OOh." he vaguely heard Lonnie whisper to Ben with a bit of a snicker, "Somebody's got a crush."

"Now about payment." She laughed when the other kids blanched as she handed the long red jacket she'd grabbed from the rack behind the worktable they'd found her at to Harry. "No worries, I can tell you don't have any money."

"Then how are we supposed to pay you?" Ben asked, almost warily.

"I'll ask you for something." She sits back on the high stool and crosses her legs at the knee. Chad looks nervous and she smiles, "I like you guys, so I'll give you a choice. You can each owe me something, or you can share the debt. It's up to you."

Immediately Chad jumps on the offer, "Yes. Shared. We'll share the debt." Audrey follows, agreeing. "Wait! No! You guys, we need to talk about this!" Lonnie snaps at them at the same time the shopgirl giggles and extends her hand towards them. "Oh, but the decision's just been made. And a deal is a deal." She almost sings, too gleeful for their liking.

Chad, in his infinite wisdom, kept her at a distance as he leaned forward, took her hand by the tips of his fingers and shook it. He received a disdainful look In return and Doug glares at him as he wipes his hand on his new shirt. "Seriously?" He shakes his head at the Prince who should have recognized the gesture. "Uh, may I?" he offered his hand and although she looked wary, likely because of how Chad just shook her hand, but she accepted. Taking her hand gently in his and bowing his head to softly place a kiss on the back as was clearly expected by the way she held out her hand the first time.

"You seem way too happy for someone who just agreed to get less." Audrey sneered as he straightened back up.

"Oh but I didn't." She looked quite pleased with Doug before giving Chad and Audrey a nasty smile. "You didn't ask for clarification and I didnt offer any. You chose to share the debt, which means that I can ask any or all of you for something and it will equal one of the seven payments. If you had chosen to pay on your own, once I asked you for your payment you would have been debt free, but until I ask for all seven of your payments you are all equally indebted to me." A chorus of annoyed looks and comments were directed at Chad, who at least looked a little sheepish.

"Okay, so what do you want?" Ben asked diplomatically.

"Hmm." she hummed, tilting her head. "You'll know when I ask for it." Retracting her hand from Doug, who blushed again, realizing he hadn't let go of her hand after he had kissed it. "Now," she slipped to her feet again. "Unless you're going to join me, scram. I have a party to go to." Instead of waiting around, the Auradon kids scattered, all but dragging each other out of there as she waved her fingers at them with a smile.


	2. So Much for Blending In

**Summary: The AK's are spotted, and Ben is recognized.**

After leaving Evie's, the seven teens started to explore the streets of the Isle. They saw the poor condition and garbage these people were given, and they weren't happy. Ben was absolutely furious with his father.

"It's really late and we really aren't properly prepared to stay here." Jane quietly spoke up. "We should probably go home to get things we'll need and come back tomorrow." the others nodded in agreement and looked to Ben who sighed and reached into his pockets for the barrier remote, only to freeze. "Uh, guys?" he asked with wide eyes, "Did any of you take the remote?"

"What?" Audrey screeched, and Lonnie almost slapped her for drawing more attention. "What do you mean you don't have it?"

"Do you think someone stole it?" Jane asked at the same time Doug asked, "Did you make sure to take it from your other jacket back at the shop?"

"Yes, I know I did. I made sure to zip my pocket up once I put it in there." Ben's hand went to his head and his fingers curled around the beanie hat in frustration.

"Hey, do I know you?" they turned to the newcomer and were surprised by the genuinely nice smile they were wearing. "Uh, no. No you don't." Ben shook his head and tried to look nonchalant. "No, yeah I do. I'm sure I do." he insisted.  
"Yeah mate, you look familiar." Harry drawled, "Can't place ma finger on it though."

"Don't you remember me? My name is Gil." He told them, looking frustrated as he tried to remember them before his eyes set on something behind them. Squinting at it he pointed at it before turning back to Ben, and then back to the poster they just saw was behind them. Surprise filled them when they saw a poster of Ben, his mother Queen Belle, and his father King Adam. It made them wonder who had put it up. Their eyes were drawn to the red painted 'X' right on Adam's face. "Hey." he blinked, "You're King Ben."

With wide eyes they looked back to the boy in front of them. "Uh, no I'm not?" he tried. "Yeah, you're King Ben." He nodded, excited. Uma would have a field day with this. "You should come with me." He invited, but they turned and ran. "Hey! Wait!" He called after them as they rounded a corner and rushed into a building. He blinked as he himself rounded the corner, unsure where they had gone. Shaking his head, he turned and headed to the docks to see his captain.


	3. The Poison Apple

**Author Note: Doug's full name is going to be Douglas Everest Gemmines. Yes, I know the last name is literally gem and mines put together, but give me a break I'm not good with names. (also, just because, I think it should be pronounced more like gem-mins)**

**Summary: Doug is asked for the first of the seven payments. **

Music thudded in the teens ears as they took in their new surroundings. Cautiously they moved further into the room, unsure if the other boy, Gil, would realize where they went. "What is this place?" he heard Audrey ask, sounding half curious, half disgusted. He turned to answer, but the crowd quickly separated the group. Frowning he looked around, not seeing them he decided to go to the other side of the room, hoping they would have the same idea. He peered up at the sign above the bar. The place was called The Poison Apple if the neon sign proudly blinking on the wall was to be believed.

Suddenly a hand trailed along from one shoulder to the next, and spun his neck from one side to the other to see who it was. "Why hello again handsome." he blinked, the darkness clear enough to see her smile at him. He felt the heat in his cheeks, and hoped she couldn't see how red his face surely was in the dark. "Oh, aren't you just adorable." she hummed, quite pleased with herself for making him blush. "So," she leaned in closer to him, "Something number one." He shivered at her wicked smile. "Y-yes?" he tensed, "First, have a drink with me?" she turned to the bar, and waved to the boy at the other end of the bar. "Hey, Jay, can we get two signature Rotten Apple shots over here?" she smiled sweetly at him as he called back, "Sure thing E." Seconds later two bright green shots were sitting, fog spilling over the edges ominously in front of them. Doug swallowed hard, nervous. "I ah, no- thank you" he tried, but she pushed the shot his way. "It's good, I promise. Can barely taste the alcohol." She slammed the shot and looked at him with a raised eyebrow expectantly, he realized he had to if he didn't want to give away that he wasn't really an Isle kid. Tentatively he took the shot, "C'mon, It doesn't bite. Just slam it, shots are better when you do." He tried not to cough, but couldn't help the two small ones that slipped out.

"So?" he asked as he looked at her, trying to clear his throat of the burn of the alcohol he wasn't used to. She had leaned forward, chin in her hand as she kept her eyes on him. "Ah, yes." she tilted her head, "What I want from you-" she started, reaching out with one hand to smooth his jacket and adjust his tie slightly, "is nothing much." she shrugged before looking back into his eyes, "I want to know your name."

"My-my name?" this wasn't what he was expecting at all.

"Yes, Your name." she nodded with a purr.

"I-uh-I my name is D-D-Douglas" he stumbled over his words. "Douglas Everest Gemmines."

"Hmm." she hummed, "Douglas, I like that name." she brushed invisible dirt off his shoulder, "Dance with me Douglas? Just one?" she held up her hand by her face as she tilted her chin enticingly, pointer finger raised.

"I-uh" he stuttered nervously again, he really needed to find his friends. "What? Are we not friends?" she pouted cutely at him. "I-uh, no- I mean yes- I mean."

"Oh, I see. You don't have to spend time with me if you don't want to." She looked sad and he squirmed, not liking the look on her face. Doug ran a hand over his face and backpedaled, "I mean yes, I'd like to be friends. I just mean I need to find where my other friends went." At her continued pout he sighed and nodded and agreed to dance with her. Immediately she brightened and he almost gaped at her. "Wait a minute- did you just use reverse psychology on me?"

"Maybe." She smirked with a giggle, "But you just agreed to dance with me, so it worked." She took his hand and he was pulled with her back into the thick crowd where he could feel the music thrumming through his body. With a giggle she pulled him close, their bodies pressed tightly together because of how many people were packed in around them. She surprised him by wrapping her arms around his shoulders, laying her head on his shoulder as they swayed, their movements much slower than the song. He found, he was quite comfortable with her there in his arms, holding her close. Doug felt nervous butterflies in his stomach, he had never been paid this much attention by anyone, let alone a pretty girl, before. As quickly as the moment started, it also ended with the song and she pulled back, offering a soft smile, releasing him.

"I promised, just one dance." her smile twitched and she quickly leaned in and pressed a kiss to his cheek."Goodbye Douglas, I hope you find your friends." And just like that she was gone. Although he wasn't quite sure why, he moved, his head on a swivel trying to see where she went.

"Hey, Doug, there you are!" A voice startled him, and he jumped, a hand flying to his heart as he turned with widened eyes. "Ben." he breathed in relief, "You startled me."

"My bad." he smiled apologetically. "Hey, we think that guy is probably gone. We need to retrace our steps." Doug easily agreed, "Yeah, we really need to find that remote." He followed closely behind Ben and they returned to the group. "Found him." Ben announced as they arrived next to them.

As the group made their way outside, he Ben paused in the doorway, taking count. "Wait where is-"suddenly he was cut off as they were surrounded and quickly taken hostage, their tourney and R.O.A.R. skills no match for them. Harry held out the longest, although Chad would argue that and claim he had only been beaten because the girls distracted him. "Hey man." Gil clapped his hand on Harry's shoulder. "Why'd you guys run away before? You guys gotta meet our Captain while you're here." Their hearts sank as they were led through the streets sure this wouldn't be good for them, Gil's cheerful voice keeping up a running commentary along the way.

(It wasn't until they were leaving that Doug realized he never got her name.)


	4. Djinn Dojo

**Chapter Summary: Lonnie 'acts natural, gets an admirer, and makes some (more) reckless decisions. **

"What is this place?" She hears Audrey complain. "Just act natural you guys." she sort of heard Ben interrupt. Natural, she thought, right, she could do that.

Lonnie let herself be caught up in the mass of people moving in time with the music. The beat pulsed through her and she began to move, twisting her body around, dancing with the people next to her, and actually enjoying herself.

She felt like she was being watched and looked up to find herself making eye constant with a guy who was putting an apron away by the bar. The intensity of his gaze made her knees feel weak, her eyes flicked down when he licked his lips and she caught herself staring for a moment. Without thinking she flipped her hair over her shoulder sending him a look as she spun back around.

"Ooh girl, I think you've got an admirer." A girl she'd been dancing with who had horns coming out of her purple hair and large black feathered wings grinned next to her. She bumped Lonnie's shoulder teasingly, and she looked back to see him still watching her. "Girl, I'm your wing-woman tonight, I'm gonna introduce you." The girl announced, clearing thinking her pun was hilarious, before leaving her side. Suddenly his smile vanished, and she felt a pit form in her stomach at the look he was shooting her way. As quickly as she registered his change in mood she felt a hand grab her waist and pull her backwards into a broad chest. "Hey!" She snapped, scowling as she tried to turn to tell them off for touching her, rearing her arm back to slam it backwards towards them.

In an instant, before she could land the hit, she was pulled free from the cage of his arms and found herself sideways in another person's arms, her hand resting on their chest as she steadied herself. "Don't touch her." His voice growled lowly. "Oh come on Jay, we were just dancing." The other man scowled back. "Really? Cause that sure didn't look like it to me." He shot back, "Leave before I throw you out." He ordered. The guy looked like he wanted to say something but decided it wasn't worth it, and left without a fight.

The arm that had been holding her around the waist relaxed before releasing her. "Hey, are you alright?" He stepped back and she realized it was the guy from the bar.

"I'm fine. Thanks" She nodded as the purple haired girl came back with a small shot glass. "Thought you could use a shot after dealing with that trash." She said offering it to Lonnie. She took it and thought for a second before downing it. "Thanks." She winced.

"Sorry," the purplette grimaced, "I guess I forget sometimes that it's a little strong for non-fae. I'm Mal by the way." She smiled, "and as you ready heard, this is Jay." She gestured. "You can call me Lonnie." She replied, smiling at her new friends.

"Hey, you should join us down by the docks later if you're up for it. My best friend's cousin is throwing a party down there." She invited, a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Haha, yeah, that'd be fun." She agreed without thinking. "Great! I've got to go find Evie about something, but stick around or with Jay and we'll make sure you get there? Sound cool?"

Jay laughed, and she found herself joining in, "Sounds cool, thanks Mal."

He turned to her again, "Hey, you wanna stay or get out of here for awhile? I know a cool place we can go that I think you'd like."

Lonnie regarded him for a second, and hummed as she thought. "Hmmm." With a shrug she answered, "Why not."

Minutes later Lonnie felt daring and a shiver of excitement ran through her. She shared a grin with Jay as he led her through the streets, the duo was bouncing off the walls, using pipes to throw themselves further, climbing to the rooftops to jump to the next one to go faster. This was the most fun she'd had so far, not to mention in awhile.

"So, where are we going anyway?"

"There." He pointed down to the entrance to a building, gold letters sparkled on the front.

"The Djinn Dojo?" She mused, rather interesting name. "Looks closed though?"

"Yeah." He gave her another grin that made her legs feel like jelly once again "But I know the owner." He wagged his eyebrows at her and she giggled, Lonnie the daughter of Mulan actually giggled.

Once they got inside she marveled at how well kept the Dojo actually was. For what she'd seen so far of the Isle, this was clean and in pretty good shape. "C'mon." She invited her closer, "Wanna go a few rounds? Bet you can't beat me." He teased, and she followed him.

"Oh, you are so on." She grinned, "prepare to eat your words."

A few rounds later found Lonnie pinned under Jay. The roughness of the Isle being what gave him an edge in comparison to the Auradonian style of fighting she was more used to. He leaned on his forearm, long hair falling around almost curtain like as it came out of his ponytail. The way he was looking at her made her think about the "smoulder" that King Eugene and Queen Rapunzel were always joking about, but by the way he was looking at her she didn't think he would even realize if he was.

He held her wrist in his other hand, keeping his eyes locked on hers he turned his hand and pressed a thumb at her pulse point as they fought to catch their breath together. She found her breath hitching as it caught in her throat when he pulled her wrist up and pressed his lips to it gently, eyes never leaving hers. The unfamiliar yet familiar intimacy of the moment sent her reeling.

With ease she instinctively rolled them so he was below her. She had a hand on his chest as she grinned at him. He laughed. "That's what I get for losing focus huh? I yield." Although she discovered you couldn't actually see them on the Isle, he looked at her like she herself hung the stars in the sky.

Before she could second guess herself, Lonnie made yet another reckless decision she would be sure to get yelled at by her parents about should they ever get home, no thanks to a missing barrier remote. Leaning down Lonnie cupped his face in her hands and pressed her lips to his in a soft kiss. The hesitancy in his movements surprised her, and she realized he was making sure she knew she could change her mind. His calloused hands moved slowly, one hand trailed along her leg, resting on her waist to help give her more balance. The other hand came to cup her cheek, his fingers lightly tangling in her messy hair as he reciprocated her kiss. Soft words were breathlessly said against her lips in a language she didn't understand, and tensed for a half a second, clearly having not meant to say it.

"So, you are Djinn?" she murmured into the kiss, recognizing the sound of the language that her friend Jordan had begun secretly teaching her bits and pieces of. Secretly because Auradon Prep was seriously strict about speaking English for some reason. He froze for a second before humming an affirmative sound. "What's it mean?"

At first she didn't think he heard her question, but then he repeated the phrase in English for her. "Marry me." he pulled back, his thumb brushing against her cheek, his own cheeks were flushed and she could see an embarrassed apologetic look in his eyes. "I'm sorry, it just slipped out." he wet his lips with his tongue. "It's a Djinn thing." He continued, "A drive to claim what's ours."

"Oh." she blinked, remembering something else Jordan had told her about Djinn and Genies. They were prone to staking a claim shortly after they came into contact with their soulmate. Some proposed marriage, as Jay had just done. Some adorned their soulmate with lavish jewelry and clothes, another sign of their claim. They were possessive and protective magic beings, and when they mate their soulmate, they wanted everyone to know to back off.

"Oh?" he asked, seemingly surprised by her almost immediate understanding.

"Yeah, oh." she responded with a smirk and a roll of her eyes, "Get me a ring and we'll talk." she half teased.

He let out a barking laugh with relief. "I'll get you any ring you want." he declared, and she laughed with him as he pulled her back down for another kiss. When Li Lonnie had chosen to come to the Isle with Ben, she'd never thought she'd end up finding her soulmate here of all places, but she wasn't complaining.


	5. What's My Name?

**Author's Note: I'm going to take a sec here before the chapter to thank SakuraKoi and the guest reviewer Summer for commenting on fanfiction .net! Reviews are always nice to receive, the criticism and other comments about my stories often help me want to continue some stories and can also help build my confidence about writing. **

**Also, Summer was wondering if Ben and Mal were going to meet, and the answer is ****_YES!_**** They will be meeting, and I already have some ideas swimming around in my head, but you'll have to wait and see!**

**Chapter Summary: The Auradon kids meet the pirate crews' captain, and discover two of their soulmates.**

Once they arrived on deck, they were immediately sat down and their wrists were rebound. As Gil and another girl were moving down the line, he continued to make idle conversation, only really receiving responses from Ben and Harry.

A door opened while the pair was looking at Gil. The two boys did not even spare a glance, busy listening to something Gil was saying. Chad was the only one who looked, seeing a girl with long black and real braids swinging behind her as she went up the stairs.

Under his breath they heard Chad say with a low whistle, "That girl is sex on legs." as he eyed her. Pretty openly ogling, more obviously than he had done with the bluenette girl in Evie's shop.

They froze, Gil's mouth still open as if he were about to continue what he was saying. The trio blinked and just as they worked around to chastise Chad, they heard a yelp and were greeted with the sight of the female pirate who had been helping Gil adjust the ropes holding a knife while blood trailed down his cheek from the new gash he sported. "How dare you disrespect her." Her voice was a low growl. "How dare you disrespect Uma."

Gil's voice growled out surprising them all having only heard him be kind and friendly, "You'll get much worse that a little cut if you disrespect Uma again."

Chad sputtered a little about his cheek, but otherwise wisely stayed quiet. Harry shook his head after giving him the dirtiest look he possibly could, especially so after he recognized the name. Looking around the deck until his eyes found the girl who looked like she would command that kind of loyalty and respect, Uma they called her. She was up overlooking the entire main deck with a watchful eye and he gave her a wicked grin and nipped his teeth at her playfully when she caught him looking at her, his gut telling him he was right.

"My, my, my Gilly boy," he drawled, looking back at his new friend. "If Ye'd have told me we would be greeted by such an" he looked at her, studying her face as he continued,"exquisite goddess I'd have come sooner." He flirted.

"Harry." Ben warned lowly, he too had recognized the name but not wanting his friend to get into trouble like Chad just did.

"What's yer name, Captain?" She let out a small chuckle, pleased that he immediately recognized her authority as she descended the stairs with a dark glint in her eyes. "Well, well, well, the pretty little Auradonian sailor boy doesn't know who he's talking to." She moved slowly, swinging her hips as she descended the stairs, deliberately making him wait, and instinctively he shifted so he was on his knees in front of his Queen who was insulting and flirting with him in the same breath.

She moved to the center of the deck in front of him before she stopped. Holding her arms out to her side. "I think we should tell him." The crew tittered and she turned from side to side to sweep her gaze over them. "What do you say?" She tilted her head at their eagerness to answer their captain, "What's my name?" She asked. "Uma." They responded reverently, her name like a prayer on their lips. "What's my name?" She repeated, calling louder, and they responded once more in kind. "UMA!" came the chorus of shouts.

With a grin she began to stalk forward. "What's my name?" She asked one more time, bending over and trailing the back of her hand along Harry's cheek. "Uma." He breathed her name like it was the only thing he cared about.

"That's right pretty blue eyes." If he didn't know any better he would say she almost cooed at him. "Now, just who is it you fancy yourself to be?" Her thumbnail caught slightly on his bottom lip as she drug it down his lips. Stupidly he answered, "Harrison Hook." Immediately he realized that was not the answer she was looking for as she moved back again. Shaking her head she tisked, "Harry, Harry, Harry." He clenched his jaw, mentally berating himself for not recognizing the question for what it was. He remembered taking Pirate History courses with Ben a few years ago, the other boy had teased him relentlessly for this one aspect his pirate heritage, telling him he had better know the question and a proper way to respond to it or he'd walk the plank if his soulmate was unforgiving.

Back she came, and he tilted his head back so he could keep his eyes on her as she ran her fingers through his hair once before she gave a sharp tug to make him tilt further back, which he willingly obliged. "I already know your name." One of her delicate hands went to hold the base of his neck, her thumb in front of his ear. He wet his lips and watched her eyes continue to darken. He felt like he could see himself reflected in her vibrant eyes, and suddenly he recognized the darkness in her gaze for what it was.

"That's not what I asked." she reminded him, her other hand still running through and tugging his hair, lightly now. "Now," she repeated, "I want a proper answer. Who is it you fancy yourself to be?"

This time he knew that she had known who he was before he even stepped foot on the Isle and knew exactly what kind of answer she was expecting. He kept his eyes trained on hers, knowing he would lose her attention should he look away. "Yours." he started simply, "Your soulmate, your lover, a heart that beats and longs only for you, an Auradonian sailor boy who would willingly perish for his magnificent pirate queen." He couldn't help throwing in the title she taunted him with moments before into his declaration of love and loyalty as was the common way with pirate soulmates. This time she leaned down and pressed a hard kiss to his lips, showing how pleased she was with his answer. He arched into her touch, and a pleased sound came from the back of his throat as she nipped at his bottom lip before releasing him.

With a happy cackle she waved to the crew, "Let 'em loose." but pointed to Chad, "'Cept that one. Fishbait needs to learn some manners for disrespecting my cousin."

"What?" He gaped, "I-what- I didn't" he tried to get out of the grasp of two pirates who had lifted him to his feet, hands still bound behind his back while the others were untied.

"Yes you did." She gave him a disgusted look. "Y'all went 'round to Evie's Boutique." She reminded and the rest of the teens looked confused as he blanched. Harry suddenly remembered the disdainful look the bluenette shopgirl had sent after him as he proudly sauntered back into the dressing room. He hadn't had a chance to ask what that was about because she turned to him brightly and forced him into a chair to apply some eyeliner.

"Oh, Uma!" The now familiar voice sang out as heels thudded up to the deck from the docks. The girl from Evie's smiled as she stepped onto the deck, holding a bag on her arm. "Ah, perfect, you made it." she chirped when she saw Harry standing tall next to Uma. "I've got a little something for you. I just couldn't wait so I finished it like, right away." She waved her hand as she approached, before looking in the bag and pulling a hat out. "Would you like to do the honors, cousin mine." she smiled as she held it out to Uma who grinned. "My, Princess, I'd say you've outdone yourself." she accepted the hat and Harry automatically tipped his head to give make it easier for her to reach as she settled it on his head.

"I know what you like." she looked quite pleased with the compliment, "And I wasn't about to let him come down here without a proper wicked makeover."

"Princess?" Doug asked, thrown for a loop. She sure hadn't mentioned a title, nor had she actually given them her name before.

"Yup." Uma smirked, "This girl right here is a bona-fide princess." She tapped the other girl under the chin and Doug nodded, no longer surprised by some of her mannerisms. Mannerisms like expecting either to take hands and curtsey with one of the other girls or to receive a kiss on the back of her hand from one of the boys when they made a deal with her.

"So, do I get to know your name now?" He asked, and she laughed, giggled really.

"I was wondering when you were going to ask." She dropped into a proper curtsy, far better than any that they had ever seen Audrey, who regularly boasted that she was a true and proper princess and had passed all kinds of etiquette classes before even entering grade school, do. "My name is Princess Genevieve Evangeline Grimelda." she introduced, and Doug gaped at her, understanding why she had been so curious about his name before, why her eyes had absolutely sparkled when he told her. "But most people call me Evie."

"That means you're my soulmate." Doug was impressed with himself for not stuttering as he said that.

"It does." she affirmed. Glancing at Chad she mused to Uma, "Do you think the sorry excuse for a Prince would survive taking etiquette with my mother?" It was a half question-half suggestion, and Uma raised an eyebrow mischievously. "Ooh, you smart, smart girl. That is a perfect punishment. Maybe you'll actually learn some manners." she laughed, and the Auradon kids shivered from the evil tones in it. "Aunt Grimhilde is quite strict when it comes to those classes." she told the blonde boy now tied to a pole. "So you'd better be on your best behavior." her words were almost sung had him guliping in terror.

"The Evil Queen?!" His voice was high-pitched as he squeaked out, "You're going to make me take etiquette lessons with the Evil Queen?!" The rest of the Auradon kids looked to Evie in surprise. Doug was the son of one of the seven dwarves and his soulmate was literally the daughter of the Evil Queen. It was a lot for them to wrap their heads around as they looked at the two who you'd have thought would be enemies.

"That's what I said." Uma grinned wolfishly at him as he quaked in fear, trying to beg to get out of it. She let him try (and fail to properly) grovel for a few moments. With scowl and roll of her eyes she waved at him, "Somebody shut him up." The girl who cut his cheek smiled deviously as she shoved a gag in his mouth and tied it behind his head. "Oh come on!" he tried to speak but it came out garbled and far quieter than before. "Ah, that's much better." Uma hummed.

Audrey was the only one who was overly upset by this. They all knew Chad was a player, and not nearly as good and charming as he tried to claim. They were on the Isle now and he actually did deserve whatever was coming his way. "You can't do that!" She pointed at him, "He is a Prince! Release him now!" Her face reddened as she grew angrier when Uma laughed in her face. " Look pinky, keep disrespecting our Captain, and you'll join him." Gil was the one to admonish her this time. She scowled and looked offended, but could see the threat was real and managed to hold her tongue.

"Um, excuse me, Captain Uma?" Ben turned, ignoring Audrey's pointed looks.

"King Benny boy." She acknowledged. Harry grinned as she let him drape an arm over her shoulder.

"We were missing one of our friends before your crew brought us here. I'm wondering if you might be able to help us find her? Her name is Lonnie. And I'm also wondering, after Jane fainted outside the Poison Apple, where did they bring her when we got here?" He tried to keep his questions clear.

"Oh, I know where your friend Lonnie is." Evie cut in, "She's with Jay."

"And I had your friend Jane put in my quarters until she wakes up. Carlos is with her. He'll bring her back above deck whenever she's ready." Uma added. "But not before." Ben nodded in understanding, glad to know where his friends were, and that they were respecting Jane's boundaries.

"Well, I'd say we've had enough of a delay." Uma drawled out, putting her hands on her hips and cocking her head. "Let's get this party started!" she shouted as she raised an arm in the and deafening cheers resounded, the party immediately erupting around them.

**Additional Authors Note:**

**Yasss, my girl Uma finally came out to playy!!**

**I'm so excited to get this chapter up for a couple of reasons.**

**One, Uma is my absolute favorite Descendants character and China is plays her just so perfectly. I knew the second I saw Uma that she was my girl.**

** Two, it's my birthday today and I'm excited that I got to this point in the story by today.**

**And three, this is the part that really started it all, but the way I was imagining it I just couldn't make it the first chapter, so I had to rewind a little to be able to get there.**


	6. Not A Villain, but a Victim

**Chapter Summary: Jane's known for awhile that her soulmate was a villain kid, but because of who her mom is she never thought she'd be given the chance to meet him.**

Jane woke up with a small groan to the sound of music once more beating around her, only quieted by the fact that it was coming from above deck. Blearily she blinked, as her vision began to clear she took in her unfamiliar surroundings and felt panic bubble up when she realized she didn't know where her friends were.

"Hey, hey, hey." she heard a voice call to her softly, and she sat up and whipped her head to the side so fast her vision began to swim again. Now dizzy she closed her eyes and groaned again, rubbing a hand over her eyes. "You're all right." the calming voice continued soothingly, a gentle hand on her back.

"Where am I ?" the question slipped from her lips before she could stop it, and she wondered if she was even allowed to ask.

"You're in the Captain's Quarters on the Lost Revenge." she opened her eyes to see a boy her age, sporting red and black clothing just like Evie had given her. She couldn't help but blush when she registered how cute he was. "You fainted when the crew found you guys and tried to get you to come here. I'm sorry, they didn't mean to scare you that bad." he sighed, "But Uma wanted you all to come aboard to meet you and your friends weren't listening to what they were trying to tell them. There really wasn't supposed to be a fight." she could hear the frustration lurking beneath the calmness. He ran a hand wearily across his freckled face, and she found herself reaching out, her fingers brushed against his wrist and he moved his hand away from his hand enough that she could wrap her hand around it gently.

"It's not your fault." she gave him a reassuring smile.

A thud came from above them and she jumped in surprise. "Oh pumpkins and mice, what on earth is going on out there?"

He laughed, "It's just a party." he assured, amused by what she had just said. More serious he told her, "You don't have to go out there if you don't want to, I'm not going to make you move if you're not ready or up to it."

She contemplated that for a second, this stranger cared more about her comfort level, and by extension her happiness, than her own mother did most of the time. She must have looked sad because he looked at her concerned, and reached out, gently cupping her cheek, "Hey, hey, what's wrong?"

"I-" she twitched her nose, "It's nothing." she gave her head a slight shake.

"Look, I'm not going to push you or force you to talk to me, but something is clearly bothering you." she met his eyes, then something flashed across his face. "Oh, is it me? It's me isn't it?" He began to withdraw with a wince.

"No!" she exclaimed, pulling his hand a few inches back to her cheek and covering it with her own again. The boldness of that move made her blush. "No, it's not you." She tried not to squeak, and he looked relieved.

"It's not?"

"No, it's not." she smiled for a half-second. "Nothing that's your fault anyways." she amended. "It's just that," she bit her lip as her eyes began to water, "It's just that I've only known you for what, ten minutes? And you already have shown more care about my comfort than my own mother has almost my whole life." bitterly she laughed.

"You-" he looked so startled by the admission, she looked away. "You're telling me, _the _Fairy Godmother herself, one of the shining examples of all that is supposed to be good and perfect in Auradon and an example to magic folk for renouncing magic as that Beast King declared, doesn't even care about her own daughter?" his upset seeped into his voice as he seethed, "She doesn't deserve you as a daughter." He tilted her head back towards him, "You hear me Jane? She doesn't deserve you, doesn't deserve your love, and certainly not your tears."

"How do you know my name?" she sniffled.

"Jane, your mother is the Fairy Godmother. You're almost always behind her when she appears on the one tv channel Auradon sends here, not that many people actually watch that." He wet his lips, "I mean, they never actually said your name, but I have a very good reason for why I know." He dropped his hands to his lap before he looked up again, and she felt herself getting lost in his deep eyes. "I-ah, well, Jane Goodfairy, we're soulmates. I'm Carlos, Carlos De Vil."

She opened her mouth, trying to find something to say and she felt silly when the only thing that came out was, "Oh."

"Yeah, I know you probably didn't want a villain's kid for a soulmate." he ran a hand through his curly hair.

"Oh, no no no, it's not that." she blurted, "I've always figured you had to have been a villain kid, you know De Vil isn't exactly that common in Auradon." she swung her legs off the edge of the bed. "My mother, she happened to be there when your name appeared and didn't like that very much." she admitted quietly, "She thought it had to have been some kind of mistake, made me feel like I was some kind of mistake, that I wasn't good enough." their knees bumped as she reached forward and took his hands in hers. "She forbade me from talking about it, wouldn't let me talk to the King or Queen about searching for you here, thought it was better off with the barrier separating us. But I never thought about it that way, I read the old files and your mom wasn't bad, she was just sick. She wasn't a villain, she was a victim, she didn't deserve to be here any more than a villain kid did. Heroes don't like to broadcast their flaws, faults and mistakes. There's a lot that the general public doesn't actually know unless they dig, and I mean _really_ dig through the archives for it. A lot of people didn't actually deserve to be put here, and if they did, they certainly didn't deserve to be fed trash."

The mood in the room was very gloomy, but there was a comfort in it knowing that they already had each other's backs. The thumping coming from above them drew Jane back out from her thoughts and she gave him a smile and nudged his knees with her own, "What do you say we go join the party and have some fun, huh? You can introduce me to your friends." He smiled back, "I'd like that." Standing up he didn't let go of her hands and helped her stand up and get her footing with the slight rock of the ship.

They left the room with twin smiles, Jane wrapped around Carlos's arm as they ascended to join the party.


	7. The Gang's All Here

**Author Note:** **Here we go, another chapter up and posted! Ben finally gets to (sort of briefly) meet Mal! I hope you enjoy this update!**

**I would have posted earlier this weekend, but I didn't have internet for most of it.**

**Chapter Summary: ****In which Lonnie, Jay, Jane, and Carlos join the party on the Lost Revenge, and Mal decides she really doesn't care for a certain pink princess.**

Ben was surprised by how at ease he and his friends were with the Pirate crew after they'd been untied. Uma had actually murmured what must have passed for an Isle apology to him, telling him she had sent for them so they could meet, Isle leader to Auradon leader. They hadn't expected them to think they were being ambushed instead of escorted, and as such felt the ropes were necessary.

Doug still looked flustered as Evie relentlessly flirted with him now that he knew who she was. She was sitting on the stairs while he leaned a railing next to her. Ben thought she was just enjoying making him blush (He was right). Audrey sat herself down right next to Chad, who was still tied up due to his own stupidity. She had huffed and plopped herself down, keeping the blonde company. The only one next to him right now was Harry, who was also leaning against the railing. Uma had stayed by them, and had let Harry pull her against him, her back flush against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her middle and rested his chin on her shoulder. He was actually surprised that she seemed reluctant to let Harry let her go and nestled into his arms as far as was even possible. At his confused look she explained. "Cecaelia are quite… tactile." she gave him a sideways look, "So are fae."

He didn't have time to ponder that last remark or why shed even bothered telling him that because at the same time she spoke the door she came through earlier opened and out came Jane on the arm of the boy he assumed was Carlos. From the looks of it she was fine, more than fine actually. Ben didn't think he'd seen such a wide smile on her face since they were little.

The last time he'd seen her smile like that he and Harry had dated her to fly as high as she could, Harry teasing her that she must be scared of heights since they never saw her fly. The scolding they got from their parents and Fairy Godmother was honestly, still one of the worst they'd even received. He'd never seen his father so angry and outraged. He became so afraid of that anger, so afraid of messing something up and seeing his father so… beastly again that he smiled and waved and never said or did anything that his father told him not to do. Until after the crown and power had been fully transferred to him of course.

Bellowing laughter drew his attention from the quiet duo in near matching outfits towards the docks. He smiled as he saw Lonnie hold her hands up victoriously as she stumbled to a stop, as the boy behind her a few steps caught up. Instead of stopping he grabbed her around the waist from behind and spun her in a circle. "JAY!" She squealed, mock annoyance in her voice, but she was clearly enjoying the attention. "Well, there's Lonnie and Jay. I was wondering when they'd show their faces." He heard Evie muse, and jumped a little. He hadn't even heard her and Doug approach.

The glinting of uncharacteristic jewelry on Lonnie caught Ben's eye. "When did Lonnie start wearing jewelry?" He couldn't stop the question that slipped from his mouth.

"Hmm?" Evie glanced over again, "Oh, if she didn't wear jewelry before, she always will now. It's kind of a Djinn soulmate claiming thing." She shrugged and waved her hand in nonchalance as though it were the most obvious thing in the world, and Ben started in surprise. "A what?"

Evie looked at him with curiosity. "You don't know about djinn soulmate rituals do you?" At his look she nodded, "Right, well Djinn are extremely possessive, and just like cecaelia." She gestured to Uma who sent her a look even as she was leaving lipstick marks on Harry's skin. The cecaelia girl had begun ignoring them a few minutes ago and had instead opted to pay more physical attention to Harry, who clearly didn't mind. "As you can see, she is obviously marking her territory to ward off anyone else who is interested in her soulmate. Djinn do something similar, but it's usually less… physical? They usually adorn their soulmates with extravagant clothing and jewelry, and I happen to know Jay has been collecting pieces for, like, _years_."

He blinked at her as the information sunk it. He jokingly said the first coherent thing that came to mind "So, what, do you just happen to know all of our soulmates."

Instead of answering him she pointedly ignored the question by lifting her glass and sipping her punch. "Wait, are you serious, I was just joking." Wide eyed he they turned to stare at Evie. "Do you?" he asked incredulously, but still more seriously than before.

"Perhaps." she almost purred into her drink, and the intensity of her gaze made them shiver.

"Hey guys." Jay greeted them, still carrying Lonnie. "So, uh, yeah-" he started but Evie cut him off with a giggle. "Oh that looks lovely on you, Lonnie dear." she reached out, moving her hair to better see the earrings dangling from her ears. "Wow, you really did manage to find a full matching set." she hummed, "Earrings, bracelets, necklaces, rings." she whistled appreciatively. Lonnie hummed drunkenly.

"Uh, yeah." Jay nodded with a smile, "Uma helped me find them all." he shook his head, "What I was going to say before you so rudely interrupted me," he teased dramatically, "was that Mal accidentally gave Lonnie a really strong shot at the Poison Apple, you know, like fae level strong. The kind that you taste and feel a slight buzz from, but don't really hit you super hard til like half an hour to an hour later."

Lonnie giggled again, and Ben and Harry both stared at her, unused to Lonnie giggling at all. "Mal?" she squirmed, wanting to be put down, and Jay put her on her feet, holding her steady. "Where's Mal?" her reflexes were affected and she turned her head more slowly to look. (It was a good thing too, she would have given herself feelings of whiplash if she'd been able to turn any faster.) "Maaaal." she called, "Where is Mal? Jay I thought you said you saw Mal?" she almost whined, and Harry let out a barking laugh. "My, Lonnie, you are absolutely smashed."

"No Lonnie, I didn't see Mal, I was telling Evie that Mal is the one who gave you that drink at the Poison Apple earlier." He reminded her and she pouted, disappointedly. "No Mal?"

"Yes Mal!" A girl popped up behind Lonnie and put her chin on the other girls shoulder as she hugged her from behind. "Oh my gosh, Mal is totally huggy level drunk." Uma spared her a glance and almost snorted in mild amusement before turning back to Harry.

"Yes Mal!" Lonnie cheered, she reached up and tried to pat the side of her head, but missed and basically pat her face. "Lonniiiiee, that's my faceee." she pouted, and licked Lonnie's hand to get her to stop when she didn't seem to hear her. "Eeww, did you just lick me?" "Maybe." she yawned.

"Tired?" Jane asked with a shy smile, and Mal blinked at her, suddenly more alert than she was a second ago.

"Holy-" she threw herself from Lonnie to Jane in an instant. "Who the fu-"

"Watch your language!" Evie somehow managed to snap gently at her, "We have guests."

"-ck did that to you teeth?" she finished. Forgoing boundaries the drunk fae grabbed Jane's cheeks and had her slim fingers in Jane's mouth so she could look at her teeth. "Why the absolute fu-"

"Maladia!" Evie tried exasperatedly, using the full first name to get her attention. Nobody heard Ben almost sputter, "Did you say Mal-Maladia?" Trying to correctly pronounce the name.

"Gen-e-vieve" she replied with a snarl, otherwise ignoring her. "Who did that to your teeth?" she repeated, "That looks so bad, like it looks like they're still bleeding. Oh my gosh It's so bad I swear I can feel my teeth throbbing." Carlos reached over and took Mal's wrists. "Mal, she can't talk to you with your fingers in her mouth." he admonished. "You need to ask before you touch, remember?" he reminded.

"'M-srry." she mumbled, and Jane realized she was trying to apologize, however drunkenly it was coming out. "But your teeeth." she seethed, fluffing her deep black feathered wings. The feathers seemed to raise, making her wings seem bigger as she bristled. It reminded Ben of hackling like the hair on a cat's back.

"Um." Jane ran her tongue across her teeth, and had to admit the other fae girl, Mal, was right. Her teeth still hurt and were actually still bleeding a little. "Yeah, uh," she tried to laugh it off but it came out very watery and pained and only made the other fae more insistent. "I'mma get you a drink. You need a drink." Mal announced, "it'll help you feel better", eyeing the girl. "No, it's okay." Jane grabbed the other girl's wrist to keep her there. "Uh, my mom, she uh, she shaves my teeth down once a month because they regrow the sharp edges. She says it makes me less threatening."

"You- your mother-" There was absolute fury in the purple haired fae's face as she raged. "YOur mother? What kind of mother- THAT BI-" She kept cutting herself off before Evie snapped at her again in a hiss, "MAL! Indont think she wants to talk about it."

"Hey hey hey, it's okay." Jane surprised them, "Um, it's okay." She put a hand on Mal's shoulder, "I never thought I'd meet another fae my age who I could talk to about this stuff." she admitted, "And you're right." her lips thin. "It hurts all the time and she won't teach me to use magic so it bubbles up and explodes and she won't let me fly all for the sake of King Adam's anti-magic laws, but she still gets to do magic and use her wand sometimes."

Mal scowled, "What a hypocrite!" She eyed Jane for a second, her mood changing in an instant. "Do you- can you- do you want to fly- with me?" she was almost timid as she asked the younger girl. "Do you know how? I can teach you." Jane looked at her incredulously, "You don't even know me and you'd break the law to help me?" Although worries, she was touched by how much the other fae cared about her heritage. "F-" she started and caught herself, "My girl, we don't exactly follow Bore-adon's rules here, being that you know, we're on our own and Auradon doesn't give a flying-" she side eyed Evie, "... crap about us. They literally give us trash and leave us alone to fend for ourselves. Honestly? We're an independent Isle, we make our own rules and laws and ignore Audadon just as they ignore us." The way she said this, just stating it like it was a fact of life, and to them, they realized, it was.

"Maladia?" Only Audrey heard Ben try to ask again, feeling it was appropriate to ask as it was the end of that current conversation for now since the Isle kids diverted attention, as she sidled up next to him, being one of the only ones sober and clear headed enough besides Harry (who was basically getting drunk on Uma and the attention she was paying him and therefore wasn't paying strict attention to the conversation) to really recognize the name, though she shouldn't have. "Dance with me, Benny Boo?" She made a face as the question passed her lips, clearly not asking as she latched onto him, this was a demand.

"Benny Boo?" Mal blinked, looked at Ben, and repeated with the face of someone who was clearly never going to let him live the nickname down, "Did she just call you Benny Boo?" He tried not to groan at Audrey's pet name, he had always hated it and tried to discourage her from using it.

"You had better not let him live that down your entire immortal life, lizardbreath." Uma cackles, her lips still on Harry's skin. "If you don't, I'll drown you myself." The Auradon teens blanched a little, unsure if she was serious or not, but Harry just laughed.

"Awww, is that a threat tentacles?" She laughed.

"It's a promise." She shot back, but they relaxed when they heard the teasing tones in her voice.

Ben opened his mouth to ask about Mal's name again, but Audrey gripped his arm tighter, her nails digging in and he barely refrained from yelping. "Come on, Benny Boo." She urged, hoping people (specifically that fae girl Mal) would hear the nickname and back off.

Mal narrowed her eyes at Audrey, sucking on her teeth to try and calm down. For the life of her, she didn't know why, she just didn't like the way that girl was holding onto his arm. "I don't like how you're touching him." The alcohol in her system lowered her inhibitions, and the fae lowly (almost growled) at the princess. She had bristled again, her wings fluffing up in almost a threatening manner.

Audrey scoffed, "So? Benny-Boo doesn't mind." He winced as she tightened her grip again, her nails felt like claws.

"You're clearly hurting him." Mal approached like she was stalking her prey. "So. Just. Let. Go. Of. Him." She smiled sharply, her teeth glinted dangerously, her voice sweet as honey. "Okay?"

"Hey, it's okay really. I'm okay." Ben tried to diffuse the situation, the girls looking like they were about to go at it, and he had no doubt this would be a fight Audrey would not win. "You wanted to dance, Audrey?" Audrey smirked and seemed to stand straighter, feeling confident that this was the end of that. "Yeah, this song sounds like it would be fun to dance to. C'mon Benny Boo." He fought to roll his eyes as she again tried to pull him with her, but Mal spoke before he could.

"Okay, so what even actually is your name? Contrary to what I may have said I'd actually like to not spend eternity only knowing you by 'Benny Boo'."

Audrey scoffed, "As if you don't know."

"No. No, I really don't." Mal's voice was flat as she looked at Audrey. "I also didn't ask you."

"Oh, uh," Ben rubbed the back of his neck as he tried to figure out a way to get through the minefield that was appearing in front of him. "Well, my first name is actually Benjamin, but everyone just calls me Ben." He smiles at Mal, "Well, obviously not everyone." She snorted and he laughed with her, glad for the opportunity to ask her and actually be heard hoe spoke up before he could be interrupted or lose her attention again, "What was it Evie called you? I couldn't quite catch it."

Mal licked her lips, and she blinked slowly at him, like she was surprised he even wanted to know. "Maladia. My first name is Maladia."

"Maladia?" He asked, rolling the unfamiliar pronunciation around on his tongue. "Oh, so that's how you say it." He mused lowly, and Mal's eyes narrowed at him, and Audrey chose that exact moment to tug on Ben's arm and drag him through the thick of the crowd who had congregated on the main deck to dance, and he sent an apologetic look and half shrug her way.

Mal couldn't help but scowl in the direction they went. "Oh man, I really, and I mean really, do not like what's her face."


	8. A Princess Doesn't Sulk

**Author's Note: Honestly, I'm probably going to be lengthening this chapter before I update with a new chapter after this one.**

**But I kind of just want to get it up tonight yet and I'm tired, so any changes will have to wait til tomorrow (hopefully).**

**Also, s****o, I don't actually recall Audrey having a, like, full name? And I didn't really see anything, so I've made an executive decision to call her Audrey Sofia Grace. I just think it flows nicely.**

**Additional note: ****Oh, also, I didn't mention this before but figure I should probably clear it up in case you're confused. For this soulmate au thing, the full name of your soulmate appears on your wrist on your sixth birthday. (Don't ask me why six, I just needed an age and didn't want something too old nor too young, and figured this was sort of down the middle. Old enough to understand to keep the name to yourself, you know because people can and will lie, especially to royalty, but not too young to really not understand the whole concept of soulmates. Also, something young enough that Audrey blindly believing everything her grandmother Queen Leah tells her is more believable. When you're that little, why would you question anything you're told by the adult you trust the most?)**

**Chapter Summary:**** In which ****Audrey sulks and you learn why she's so clingy to Ben.**

She was not sulking, she wasn't. A princess simply did not sulk. Audrey tried to look dignified as she lowered herself to the (potentially) grimy ship deck by Chad. Honestly, she didn't know how they were getting away with this, tying up the Prince of Charmington, oh there would certainly be a price to pay for this slight. She'd make sure of it. A glance to the side saw the group of villains near her Benny Boo growing larger, and she did not like it one bit, and scowled at them all invading his space.

Audrey felt a familiar rage when she heard the blue girl call the freakish looking girl with horns Maladia, even more fury filled her when she saw Ben's eyes flash, hopeful. No, she would NOT stand for this, this disgusting villain taking her rightful place away from her. She'd worked far too hard, had followed all the rules, and was rightfully the next queen of Auradon. She'd come too far for it to all go down the drain like this.

Audrey had grown up being groomed for this, this was her purpose in life, her Grammy had told her so. This was her birthright, and she wouldn't have some weirdly named villain girl take it from her now.

She remembered the day her Benny Boo had turned six. She had hurried down the hallways of Castle Beast to see him, eagerly expecting to see the name Princess Audrey Sofia Grace emblazoned on his wrist. She had stopped in her tracks upon hearing Ben and Harry whispering together. Sneakily peeking around the corner she saw the duo trying to read the name on the young Princeling's wrist, but it didn't sound like her name, no, they would have had no problem pronouncing her beautiful name, this was someone else's name. "Ma-May-Mal-lad-a-ia" they tried, young minds uncertain how to say it, "Auro-aura-aurora Dee-a"

Taking a deep breath she put on her best smile (the one that Grammie said could get her anything she wanted) and skipped into the room. "Whatcha doin'?" she had chirped at them, and felt her heart drop yet again when they acted like it was some big secret she wasn't allowed in on, Ben's soulmark.

Later, once the festivities were over and she was tucked away safely in a carriage with her Grammie, she cried and cried and _cried_. Queen Leah was sympathetic to her grandchild, but was glad to have the bit of knowledge stored away as to the name of the unlucky person who was getting in the way of her carefully laid plans.

When she finally turned six she stared at her wrist all day, and the morning after she fled to her grandmother once more, scared because her wrist was still blank. Her Grammie had assured her that it wasn't a bad thing, but her mind was churning, this would do her plans well, to push Audrey into the role of Ben's Queen, so long as they never found the girl with a weird name.

And so, armed with all of this anger, she put on that same smile and pranced forward and clutching (not desperately, no a princess was never desperate) onto the prince's arm, "Dance with me, Benny Boo?"


End file.
